Who says newspapers are dead? Some editions are so popular these days that people are digging through others’ trash for them. Long live print!
Print coupons, that is. According to a story in USA Today, Sunday papers, the ones often loaded with coupons, are being stolen in bundles across the country. The rash of thefts is attributed to the TLC show Extreme Couponing (not to mention our depressed economy), which highlights fanatical couponers who are sometimes able to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for a just few bucks.
(MORE: Extreme Couponing: Never Hotter, Yet Never More Pointless)
Some of the most recent newspaper incidents have included an Arkansas woman who allegedly stole 185 copies of the Sunday Springdale Morning News and a woman who allegedly stole coupons from a rack of newspapers at a fast-food restaurant.
The circulation manager at The Cullman Times in Alabama told USA Today that thefts were up 30 percent this year alone. But at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., sales are up even as workers have had to chase away extreme couponers from dumpsters at the paper’s recycling center.
The poor economy has forced some people to go to incredible lengths to get by, which is understandable. But before anybody goes dumpster diving, they may want to really think about whether clipping an exorbitant amount of coupons is worth their time and effort.
